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Piececlopedia: Wolf. A doubly-bent rider, inspired by the Gryphon and Aanca.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]

George Duke wrote on Thu, Jul 18, 2013 04:48 PM UTC:

It's really one and the same rule with no need to separate into Case one and Case two. After the diagonal step, the Rook leg whether one, two or more steps, or zero step, confers a direction. There has to be a change of direction of 45 degrees from the diagonal one-step. Then the final diagonal one-step is to either of Alfil or Dabbabah arrival square -- for Wolf moves of only two steps. All these, Alfil, Dabbabah, Rook and Satyr are under the banner ''Wolf'' and do not even exhaust its arrival squares. Yet because of the blockability the Wolf is not too strong, about 5.0.

From the departure square Wolf's Rook-specific arrival squares are two-path, and its other squares are only one-path. For instance, to one (2,
5)
Satyr from starting c3 there is only c3-d4-e4-f4-g4-h5, and any intervening piece blocks the pathway. Since Dabbabah arrival square is Rook-shared, for Wolf that (0,2) is two-path, and if a piece intervenes
at f4 there is still e3-d4-e5 to get to that Dabbabah/Rook destination.

Thus Wolf though not being a leaper, may be able to move to a Rook square that Rook itself cannot from and to very same departure-and-arrival pair-squares. The same would apply to Fox by Stiles respecting Bishop. Other yet to be invented multi-path piece-types can have many other routes and be generally more interesting than each one's corresponding jumper or compound jumper. Most interactive with Orthodox pieces are two- three- and four-path. The above Satyr, instead of blanket leap to all (2,5) could have to move as Rook then Mao, making a two-way ''Satire.'' Such Satire is a weakened leaping Satyr, but combine it with (2,2)Alfil, (2,3) Zebra and limited (2,4) NN. All those four types of squares would follow two legs Rook then Mao, each two-path compounded of (2,2)(2,3)(2,4) and (2,5), having starting estimated value 5.0 again it would appear.

Be careful the distinction two-way meaning two-path and two-legged meaning serial or sequential movement required. Wolf is three-legged, even if the middle leg is chosen null, and either one- or two-path depending which arrival squares.

(2,2) plus (2,3) plus (2,4) plus (2,5) are in fact Wolf's first four non-Rook arrival squares. Getting there not by Wolf's three legs, but by two legs, Rook then Mao, call the piece-type Wolverine.